Nobody can make BrinLee laugh like Erek can.

All the piggies go to the market

LOVE this face?

I do!  How could you not?

Precious Moments

Sort of like a secret club

I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Well, who knows, maybe it’s not that big of a secret and you already know, but I feel like it’s a pretty cool secret that I just found out about. Brian and I have been creeping around at night (only at night because that is when we have the time) looking for caches. Have you ever heard of geocaching? Oh my goodness what a blast! If you don’t know what I’m talking about and want a more detailed description, go here.  It’s treasure hunting at its finest!  We use the GPS on our phones to locate hidden treasures (also known as geocaches) and then document our finds online. There is usually a log inside whatever the object is that you find and you can see all of the names of people or groups that also found that cache. It’s pretty fun! There are a ton in Southern California and whenever we are out, we try and find a couple. Erek loves to come along. He doesn’t know what we are doing, but he sure does love getting out of the car at all of these random places and roaming around through the bushes, hahaha.

Apples anyone?

I gave Erek a bowl full of apple slices, nice and thin and peeled, and this is what he gave me back.

WTH?

Apparently, he only wanted the juice.

Off with their heads!

Great movie!

My favorite character was the Red Queen, played by Helena Bonham Carter.

If you haven't seen it, I recommend it.

BrinLee update

My little girl is growing up so fast! I really can't believe it.

I snapped a couple of quick pictures for this post. She was getting pretty sleepy, but was still a good sport.  The 3rd picture was taken last month.

She turns 4 months old in 4 days. She is a little over 26 inches long (90-95 percentile) and just about 15 pounds (50-75 percentile). The little bit of hair that she has looks like a strawberry blonde. She loves to greet you with a smile and will try to talk your ear off if you will let her. I have gotten her to giggle a couple of times, but it's mostly ah's and oh's and loud screeches of excitement.  She has discovered her hands and knows how to grab things that are right in front of her. She has started rolling onto her tummy, but then gets stuck once she is there and doesn't know how to move.

If you are going to hold her, you pretty much need to wear a shield at all times because she will most likely spit up all over you. She loves her big brother and tries to interact with him when he has the patience to stand still long enough for her to focus on him. He always tries to show her his cars and then gets frustrated because she doesn't act like she is interested. I actually caught her rolling her eyes at him once and wish I could have captured it on video. She has really sensitive skin. Her hands are almost always dry and scratchy because she likes to suck on them so much. (Side note: Karin- I'm going to need you to send me some bag balm! I should have bought some while I was in Vegas because I can't find it here!)  When she sleeps, she likes to put her hands on her face and cover her eyes. She is doing really well sleeping through the night now. 9 hours last night! She does really well falling asleep on her own. I had Erek on a really tight schedule and it worked really well for me and for him. The only downside to his schedule, was that he would only sleep in his own bed. He was so used to only sleeping there that I couldn't get him to fall asleep anywhere else. That was hard when we would be out all day, or visiting my family, or at a late church meeting. I'm trying something a little different with BrinLee. I'm still having her sleep in her own bed at night, but during the day, sometimes she sleeps in her bed, and sometimes she sleeps on a blanket on the floor. It's working out really well. I was just at a friend’s house and she was able to fall asleep on the floor while the kids were playing all around her. I can't remember Erek doing that. He would just get cranky and tired and I would end up having to hold him until he fell asleep. We'll see how it goes!  She absolutely hates sitting in her car seat and being in the car. She will let you know the ENTIRE TIME. It makes it hard to want to go anywhere. She likes to sit in her Bumbo seat and she likes her swing every once in a while too. She loves to listen to music. Brian will play his guitar in front of her and she will get real still and just watch him. She loves to be held and to snuggle up next to you. I carry her around in the bjorn a lot and she really likes that.

I could go on and on... but I'll give you a break for now. :)

Never too cold

It's never too cold to go to the beach!

I love this picture of Erek chasing a seagul. 

I also love how you can see the Coronado bridge in the background.

Choo Choo!

I know don't what it is with boys and trains, but Erek is in love!

This is the train set that Erek got for his birthday this year.

We jumped on the Coaster a few weeks ago and took it from Oceanside to Old Town, about a 60 minute ride.  Erek absolutely loved it.  He was trying to play it cool at first, but you could tell that he was just about to burst with excitement.

Then, he did.

He wanted to sit with his grandma's and enjoyed every minute of it!

He is sitting with GG in this picture.  Also know as, Great Grandma, my grandma.

He tried SO hard to stay awake on the way home, but just couldn't.

These train pictures were taken back in October when we went to the pumpkin patch.  He was the only one on the train and so he got to ride it for about 30 minutes before anyone else even showed up.

And this is the train he fell in love with at Christmas last year.

 

The highlight of my day

Blessing Day

Brian blessed BrinLee on March 7, 2010. I actually made the dress that she wore. It was my very first crocheting project and I was so proud when I finished it AND it fit her! The beautiful quilt that she is laying on in these pictures was made for her by her Grandma Evie (Brian's Mom). The blessing that Brian gave was precious and I was so glad that our friends and members of our family were there to hear it! We love all of you!

She's already 1 month old!

I just can't believe it. I am trying so hard to hold on to these first few months of BrinLee being just a little baby and time is going by so fast! I really enjoy these first few months, although, things are a little different with her than they were with Erek. BrinLee spits up ALL OF THE TIME. I'm pretty sure Erek spit up once, MAYBE twice the whole two years he has been alive. Not little BrinLee, poor thing. I always feel so bad for her when she spits up. She makes these faces that just break your heart. And who likes to spit up anyway?? It can't be very fun.

She isn't much of a night sleeper either. At least with Erek I could sleep when he was sleeping, but BrinLee seems to want to sleep when Erek is awake, so my body is trying to adjust to getting about 4-6 sporadic hours of sleep every night. When Erek was a little baby, he loved to be in his bassinet. I would want to hold him and snuggle with him and he just seemed to like lying by himself more. BrinLee wants to be held. She could be sound asleep in my arms and the minute I set her down, she is wide awake again. She seems to be most content in someone's arms. Erek is doing really well with that too. Better than I thought he would. He used to be right by my side at every second and I was worried he would get jealous every time I was holding the baby. He doesn't though. He loves this little girl so much. He loves to give her hugs and kisses and especially her paci whenever it falls out of her mouth. It's so cute... he hears her cry and says, "Uh-oh! Paci!" and then runs to where she is and shoves her paci in her mouth. He is going to be a great big brother for her.

Although it's been a little hard adjusting to the new schedule, I really enjoy her. She is a such a sweetheart. There is a special bond between a Mother and Daughter and I love knowing what that feels like from the Mother's perspective.

Here are some pictures that I took from my phone last Sunday, the 24th. We weren't at home and I didn't have my camera so this is what I got.

At her one month doctors visit, she weighed 9 pounds 9 ounces and was 22 inches long. (The same size Erek was the day he was born.)

How I spent my Christmas Eve

The day started early for me. My Mom was flying in from Utah to spend Christmas with us and her plane didn't get in until 12:15am. We got her all settled in and finally got to sleep around 1:30. I was so glad that she was here! Having your Mom around to help out when you have a baby is just the best thing. I am so lucky to have her and such great sisters too! They make everything so much easier. :) I think the baby knew just when to come, because that morning at around 7:45 my water broke. Yippee!! I called my doctor, got Brian out of bed and we grabbed our stuff and headed to the hospital. I was so excited the entire time. I was actually welcoming the contractions that were coming. I had been hoping to feel contractions all week and they were finally here! The trip to the hospital was so much fun. I think it's because I was so nervous about actually going into labor until at that moment. It wasn't that pleasant of an experience when I had Erek and I was worried it would be the same with BrinLee. Once I realized I was ready to have her, and was VERY uncomfortable being pregnant, I got excited. The entire day went pretty smoothly and I really enjoyed the whole experience. The nurse that spent the whole day with me was great and when her shift ended, I was able to get the same nurse that delivered Erek two years before. I was so comfortable the whole time (thank you drugs) and was totally making jokes and laughing with my doctor and the nurse, while I was pushing. 5 pushes later, she was here! *sigh* It was incredible. She was born at 7:40pm. Erek wasn't allowed to come into the hospital because of the Swine Flu going around, so we didn't get to spend Christmas Day with him until we got home on the 26th. He really enjoyed spending time with his Grandma while she was here though and was pretty spoiled.

What a little sweetheart!

She is here!

Thanks Uncle Jon!